Southeast Asian fast-food chains are being hit by a shortage of French fries as supply-chain snarls slow shipments of the frozen item from the U.S. and Europe.
As Ann Koh reports for Bloomberg, signs at some of Yum! Brands Inc.’s KFC outlets in Singapore informed customers that the company would replace side orders of fries with potato waffles due to a “global supply disruption.”
McDonald’s Corp. stores in Malaysia and Indonesia halted sales of large-size portions of fries late last month for the same reason, according to company notices posted on Twitter.
“The pandemic-related disruptions continue to have a multi-prong effect on the global supply chain and distribution network,” Diana Hoo, marketing manager at KFC Singapore, said by email. The company has some stocks of fries at its outlets in Singapore, but they are limited, she said.
Labor shortages and lower crop yields in the Pacific Northwest have been exacerbated by congestion at U.S. and Canadian ports on the west coast, she said.
Source: Bloomberg. Read the full story here
Photo: Courtesy Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
